More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.

When they sought to light the Temple’s menorah (the seven branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

On Chanukah we also add the Hallel and Al HaNissim in our daily prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for “delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few… the wicked into the hands of the righteous.”

Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil — latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, “a great miracle happened there”); and the giving of Chanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children.

Wait! Didn’t our politicians save us from plastics by banning plastic bags and eliminating bisphenol A (BPA)? Those two actions did occur, but they haven’t even made a dent in the problem of estrogenic agents being release from plastic into us.

Researchers at the University of Texas, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, performed a highly detailed set of experiments on a range of plastics showing nearly all are leaching these potentially dangerous chemicals into us. The paper, “Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved” explains that potentially dangerous chemicals are released from even the “safe” plastics when environmental stressors like UV rays, heat from a dishwasher, or a microwave oven are applied.

From the paper:

Results: Almost all commercially available plastic products we sampled—independent of the type of resin, product, or retail source—leached chemicals having reliably detectable EA, including those advertised as BPA free. In some cases, BPA-free products released chemicals having more EA than did BPA-containing products.

Conclusions: Many plastic products are mischaracterized as being EA free if extracted with only one solvent and not exposed to common-use stresses.

What is so disturbing is, “chemicals that mimic or antagonize the actions of naturally occurring estrogens are defined as having estrogenic activity (EA), which is the most common form of endocrine disruptor activity.”

As I have railed before, while we are distracted by the scare of the day in the news, unregulated or inadequately tested chemicals, like plastics, are slowly killing many of us. Take your eye off the potential future outcome of carbon dioxide for a moment and fix it on the chemical pollution killing our children and environment today.

The Leathers geothermal power plant in Calipatria, CA. Courtesy U.S.D.O.E.

Why shouldn’t we have clean, renewable, base load power from a domestic source? It isn’t solar (made in China and doesn’t work when the sun isn’t shining) or wind (kills golden eagles and doesn’t work when the wind isn’t blowing hard enough), it is geothermal!

What are the benefits of using geothermal energy?

Answer: Several attributes make it a good source of energy.

First, it’s clean. Energy can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces, and very little if any, of the nitrous oxide or sulfur-bearing gases. Binary plants, which are closed cycle operations, release essentially no emissions.

Geothermal energy is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Geothermal power plants have average availabilities of 90% or higher, compared to about 75% for coal plants.

Geothermal power is homegrown, reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Why is geothermal energy a renewable resource?

Answer: Because its source is the almost unlimited amount of heat generated by the Earth’s core. Even in geothermal areas dependent on a reservoir of hot water, the volume taken out can be reinjected, making it a sustainable energy source.

What are the environmental impacts of using geothermal energy?

Emissions are low. Only excess steam is emitted by geothermal flash plants. No air emissions or liquids are discharged by binary geothermal plants, which are projected to become the dominant technology in the near future.

Salts and dissolved minerals contained in geothermal fluids are usually reinjected with excess water back into the reservoir at a depth well below groundwater aquifers. This recycles the geothermal water and replenishes the reservoir. The City of Santa Rosa, California, pipes the city’s treated wastewater up to The Geysers power plants to be used for reinjection fluid. This system will prolong the life of the reservoir as it recycles the treated wastewater.

Some geothermal plants do produce some solid materials, or sludges, that require disposal in approved sites. Some of these solids are now being extracted for sale (zinc, silica, and sulfur, for example), making the resource even more valuable and environmentally friendly.

What is the visual impact of geothermal technologies?

Answer: District heating systems and geothermal heat pumps are easily integrated into communities with almost no visual impact. Geothermal power plants use relatively small acreages, and don’t require storage, transportation, or combustion of fuels. Either no emissions or just steam are visible. These qualities reduce the overall visual impact of power plants in scenic regions.

Is it possible to deplete geothermal reservoirs?

Answer: The long-term sustainability of geothermal energy production has been demonstrated at the Lardarello field in Italy since 1913, at the Wairakei field in New Zealand since 1958, and at The Geysers field in California since 1960. Pressure and production declines have been experienced at some plants, and operators have begun reinjecting water to maintain reservoir pressure. The City of Santa Rosa, California, pipes its treated wastewater up to The Geysers to be used as reinjection fluid, thereby prolonging the life of the reservoir while recycling the treated wastewater.

How much does geothermal energy cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh)?

Answer: At The Geysers, power is sold at $0.03 to $0.035 per kWh. A power plant built today would probably require about $0.05 per kWh. Some plants can charge more during peak demand periods.

What does it cost to develop a geothermal power plant?

Answer: Costs of a geothermal plant are heavily weighted toward early expenses, rather than fuel to keep them running. Well drilling and pipeline construction occur first, followed by resource analysis of the drilling information. Next is design of the actual plant. Power plant construction is usually completed concurrent with final field development. The initial cost for the field and power plant is around $2500 per installed kW in the U.S., probably $3000 to $5000/kWe for a small (<1Mwe) power plant. Operating and maintenance costs range from $0.01 to $0.03 per kWh. Most geothermal power plants can run at greater than 90% availability (i.e., producing more than 90% of the time), but running at 97% or 98% can increase maintenance costs. Higher-priced electricity justifies running the plant 98% of the time because the resulting higher maintenance costs are recovered.

One of the benefits of women in science is the objective study of women by women. The New York Times has an enlightening article, “A Cold War Fought by Women.” Of particular interest is the study of female aggressiveness.

There is a popular myth, of which I was a subscriber, that media advertising and men are to blame for women’s self-image and competitiveness with each other. These studies led by Dr. Susan B. Hrdy scientifically analyze the issue and determine a different outcome than we think.

The conclusion: “The research also shows that suppression of female sexuality is by women, not necessarily by men.”

More from the article: “Now that researchers have been looking more closely, they say that this “intrasexual competition” is the most important factor explaining the pressures that young women feel to meet standards of sexual conduct and physical appearance.”

“To see how female students react to a rival, researchers brought pairs of them into a laboratory at McMaster University for what was ostensibly a discussion about female friendships. But the real experiment began when another young woman entered the room asking where to find one of the researchers.

This woman had been chosen by the researchers, Tracy Vaillancourt and Aanchal Sharma, because she “embodied qualities considered attractive from an evolutionary perspective,” meaning a “low waist-to-hip ratio, clear skin, large breasts.” Sometimes, she wore a T-shirt and jeans, other times a tightfitting, low-cut blouse and short skirt.

They stared at her, looked her up and down, rolled their eyes and sometimes showed outright anger. One asked her in disgust, “What the [expletive] is that?”

Most of the aggression, though, happened after she left the room. Then the students laughed about her and impugned her motives. One student suggested that she dressed that way in order to have sex with a professor. Another said that her breasts “were about to pop out.”“

I love science for proving and disproving what we think we know. Which is why I encourage all young people to embrace science classes as a great path for their future and for humanity!

Remember the unreal hype a few years back about the Segway, codenamed Ginger, and how it was going to change the way we travel? Well it didn’t but this clever new invention could incrementally and positively change urban travel.

Made in Brooklyn, New York, the FlyKly Smart Wheel is a simple replacement for the rear wheel of your already-owned bicycle. Keep the bike you love!

This wheel replacement is an electronic motor with battery and controller mounted in a wheel. The 250 watt motor doesn’t completely replace the rider from pedaling but is an assist so there is never a need to pedal hard.

Cleverly, the device is controlled with a smart phone app that also can disable and track the wheel should it be stolen. Very smart for areas that have high bike theft rates and criminal rings chopping them.

Another feature intelligently brought over from the hybrid automobile world is the regenerative charging of the battery while going downhill. That’s right, just like your hybrid Lexus when you hit the brakes, this wheel charges when you stop pedaling and are traveling downhill.

My two key concerns when looking at the FlyKly Smart Wheel are:

Where are the components manufactured? This matters as Chinese made batteries are notably environmentally unfriendly.

You still have to ride a bicycle! Do people in Minneapolis, Chicago, or New York really want to ride a bike in the winter?

I see interesting possibilities in cities where bicycles are already popular and could expand on the population using bicycles for transportation. At $590, however, this is a first world solution that faces a price barrier in poorer countries that might need the transportation help and potential reduction in air pollution.

If you are interested in getting on the bandwagon early and being near the front of the line for ordering one, head on over to the FlyKly Kickstarter campaign.

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Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

And President Eisenhower updated the holiday on October 8, 1954, “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance.”

Thank each and every veteran today, for we are a free country due to their sacrifice.

And let’s keep the pressure on the politicians to make sure to take care of our country’s promise to each and every veteran for taking care of them in return for their service, since the politicians seem to dislike veterans once their purpose is served.

And lastly, all veterans can benefit from a few freebies today. Note: Most freebies are available on Monday, November 11. Be prepared to show military ID in order to cash in these Veterans Day freebies. Source: Parade

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– Typhoon Haiyan might be the strongest storm ever recorded
– The unemployment numbers don’t look as rosy as we are told
– Even more fines against BofA for hustling
– Is the Twitter IPO another sign of tech bubble 2.0?
– Remember the Edmund Fitzgerald and Veteran’s Day!

I have suggested that we look to provide Medicare for all, and those who want to “opt-out” buy private health insurance. Therefore all Americans have health coverage and those who don’t like what the government offers can visit a hospital, doctor, or caregiver of their choice on a plan of their choice.

A key benefit of this plan is actually very good for business as it gets companies out of the business of supplying health care for employees, unless they see private plans as a competitive advantage. For example, a mine in the United States must provide health insurance in a difficult, worldwide, competitive market, whereas its competitors in other countries do not have that line item expense. Medicare for all spreads that cost, in a more efficient manner, across 310 million people.

For all the appropriate concern about government inefficiency and waste, Medicare has proven to be a highly efficient system with only a 2% administrative overhead compared to the 15-20% for private health insurers.

The big knock against Medicare is the level of fraud. Somehow a number of unscrupulous individuals think it is better to defraud the federal government instead of private insurance companies, to the tune of $48 billion per year or a 10-15% fraud rate instead of 1.0-1.5% fraud in private insurance.

To make matters much, much worse. A New York Times article called, “The President Wants You to Get Rich on Obamacare” exposes beyond what I have suspected and discussed on-air many times, ObamaCare is a giveaway to health insurers and pharmaceutical companies. The NYT piece points out how many people will get rich because of PPACA.

“Scully then segued to his main point, one he has been making in similarly handsome dining rooms across the country: No matter what investors thought about Obamacare politically — and surely many there did not think much of it — the law was going to make some people very rich.”

“Billions could flow from Washington to Wall Street, indeed.”

This is not how basic health care should be approached, it isn’t healthy for the average person and it isn’t healthy for our country. It is time to revise PPACA to become Medicare for all and allow an opt-out which requires purchasing private health insurance.